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Sunday, May 4, 2008

Vomitus

Hm, nobody but Rob had much sympathy for my run in with rumourville. Well, thank you goes out to rob anyways! Hooray for Rob!Today I had another busy day at work. Interesting calls, too. We had one call for a stroke. This woman was 100 year old, no joke! And only one medical problem!! That is, until today, when she developed another medical problem--a stroke. Anyways, she was in rough shape so we hustled her into the ambulance and I was hoping to get some oxygen started, an IV going, and some paperwork done in the 5 blocks from her place to the hospital. Unfortunately she started puking 2 seconds after we left. Usually I do fine with blood (which is good, because the blood of four different people got on me today), okay with poop, fine with pee, and I can't STAND puke. I'll often dry heave over my shoulder while holding the puke bag for a patient, but then I get myself back under control and I'm fine. Since I got pregnant my gag reflex is more sensitive.Tonight my patient started puking and I really wasn't ready for it--I usually have puke bags in my pocket but of course I was all out, the garbage was too full to use, and I was frantic for other solutions. She was puking nonstop. I think the clincher for me was looking over at her while holding the puke bag I eventually found for her, and seeing her false teeth half hanging out of her mouth, covered in puke chunks. Suddenly my mouth was filled with my own puke, and I was basically out of commission for the rest of the ride. My partner opened the back door and there we both are, puking our guts out. She started to laugh, so then I'm laughing, sweating, and vomiting all at once.My smoothie really wasn't as appetizing coming out as it had been going in.Blech.The rest of the shift my partner was telling the story of opening the back of the ambulance and seeing two pukers. I was laughing so hard I was crying. So ridiculous! "Melissa puked" is better than "No collar on a C2 fracture." I don't mind being the butt of some jokes, it's good for a laugh.One more shift, and then I'm done work for almost 14 months! Hooray!